trying to reduce the weight

[Scott Baker]

This is my first ever guitar build. Any ideas on how I could reduce the weight? My goal is 6 lbs.

1.1 lbs - all maple fender player plus neck 12" radius with frets and graphtec nut
0.49 lbs - fender locking staggered tuning machines0.11 lbs - fender neck plate and screws
0.15 lbs - fender tele volume and tone knobs
0.11 lbs - warmoth control plate and 2 screws
0.03 lbs - generic electrosocket and 2 screws
0.18 lbs - mad hatter switch, tone pot, volume pot, capacitor, jack, and some wires
0.19 lbs - generic pickguard, 8 screws, and copper shielding
0.14 lbs - generic neck pickup, 2 screws, 2 springs
0.03 lbs - generic strap buttons, 2 screws, and 2 rubber washers
0.22 lbs - seymour duncan little 59 mini humbucker, 3 screws, 3 springs, 6 nuts
0.54 lbs - gotah modern bridge with 6 sadels, springs, and screws
3.5 lbs - tele body with shielding paint, copper shielding, and grounding wires
6.8 lbs - total

 

[TBurst Std]

Some thoughts,
Tuners go Hipshot LW
Go plastic on the buttons
Go plastic on your V and T knobs
Skip the electro socket and use a std Jack with football plate

You might shave 1/4-1/2 lb

 

[Rick]

Monitor the showcase for a light body.

 

[TBurst Std]

You could a few more off by using a Tele half bridge. Also the option of just using 1 pup.

 

[supertruper1988]

Also chambered and/or thinline could help reduce weight.

 

[Logrinn]

Choose Lace Alumitone pickups instead and you’ll save a lot in weight.

 

[TBurst Std]

Also off menu order a LW body

 

[Scott Baker]

Choose Lace Alumitone pickups instead and you’ll save a lot in weight.

I looked at the alumitone pickups. As far as i could tell they don't offer a tele bridge size alumitone pickup. Are the lace sensor pickups known to be really light?

 

[Scott Baker]

Some thoughts,
Tuners go Hipshot LW
Go plastic on the buttons
Go plastic on your V and T knobs
Skip the electro socket and use a std Jack with football plate

You might shave 1/4-1/2 lb

I ordered the plastic knobs, plastic buttons, and a football plate. What does the LW stand for?

 

[TBurst Std]

Light weight. I thought you already had the body and neck. Nope it appears only the neck.
The W can select a LW body blank. Then order chambering. I’ve seen Showcase chambered Teles heavier than a solid LW custom order.
If you don’t already have the neck, goin vintage or vintage/modern saves you weight over the modern due to the truss rod.

Good luck. Rarely have I come across an electric that’s under 6 lbs. the ones I did was a Danelectro DC and my Parker Fly.

I’m going to be selling my Parker Fly. 2 HBs, splittable and with a piezo and trem. Great playing guitar. I’d keep it as I love it but my wife hates it.

 

[Hodgo]

Short of waiting for a super nice body to show up on the showcase, I would bet the lightest configuration possible from Warmoth would be:

Thinline Tele Body
Hollow Construction
Basswood (ask for lightweight off menu) body
Roasted alder lam top
Humbucker neck
Charlie Christian middle
Countoured Heel

Then of course the Tele style top rout, non-f-hole options to give it a classic Tele look. A burst finish with a black burst over back will hide the basswood, and the roasted alder will look great under a black-brown-clear burst.

I’d bet that would come under the 3lb mark. You could rout out even more of the area under the pickguard if you were so inclined.

After that head over to RockRabbit guitars and replace all your hardware with their titanium offerings: bridge, saddles, control plate, neck plate, string ferrules. Ditch the brass knobs for plastic, or find aluminum or titanium replacements.

Ditch the maple neck too and go for mahogany or Korina too with vintage construction truss adjust at heel, or maybe a 24.75” construction. I’m not sure which weighs more, the extra 3/4” of neck length or the side adjust truss rod. Or go whole hog and spring for a carbon fiber neck.

Instead of an alumitone bridge pickup, put a Wilde Microcoil in the bridge to match. The coil is much, much smaller than a traditional Tele pickup, and you should be able to match the impedance with one of Laces offering.

Not sure on tuner recommendations, but I imagine something non locking, open back and aluminum with plastic buttons would be the best bet.

 

[Floyd_Argus]

Locking tuners generally weigh more than non-locking tuners, so maybe reconsider if you really need locking tuners

For the body, skip painting it which adds at least a pound of weight and instead seal it w something like Tru Oil. There are sealant oils that have stain color options so you can still add some coloration if you wish vs keeping the natural color of the wood.

+1 to recommendations from others to use plastic instead of metal for knobs and tuner buttons.

 

[ruscio]

Everything other than the body makes very little difference, though a modern neck does weigh ~3 or 4 extra ounces more than vintage or vintage/modern due to its side-adjust truss rod.

I'd shop around for very light body, either in Warmoth showcase or elsewhere. Someone above suggested you can request that Warmoth use a light body blank, but of course what is considered light might not end up yielding a body lighter than what you already have. I've seen plenty of showcase bodies at or above your 3.5 lb one listed as light or even extra light. Good luck!

 

[supertruper1988]

I ordered a chambered basswood jazzmaster body with a maple top and paid the upcharge for the light weight body blank and it came in at 3lbs. So a tele being smaller than a jazzmaster and the thinline option removing even more wood could probably get you under 3 lbs.

Add in the weight savings from non locking tuners and you are likely looking at your 6 pound weight.

Another weight savings would be to use a traditional tele bridge not the gotoh modern one. The gotoh modern one is heavier because its a thicker base plate and the saddles are solid. The Gotoh In-Tune bridge is a good choice for vintage tone but good intonation.

 

[mrpinter]

Speaking of the tuning machines, I use nothing but Hipahot in Pinter guitars. Their locking tuners essentially don't weigh more than their non-lockers - it's a matter of tenths of an ounce, not ounces. By using their plastic buttons you can save about 2 to 2.5 ounces. It doesn't sound like much but does make a difference. As far as the body and neck woods go, I'd agree with one of the posters and say use basswood - it's probably the lightest wood Warmoth offers (I think they do). I personally like my guitars to have some heft to them, because they sustain better than a super lightweight guitar. Also, if you go too light in the body, neck dive could raise (or lower) its ugly head, and you're negating the weight savings in the neck and headstock you've worked at. Are you sure you want a guitar that light?